Erica Pickering, a Burlington student to perform at CNE Rising Star competition

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

July 31st, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The CNE has been running their Rising Star Talent Competition program since 1987.

Each year young boys and girls from across the province enter the competition that runs for xx days at the Canadian National Exhibition.

The talent competition showcases young artists between the ages of 6 to 21

Contestants are judged on their natural ability, audience appeal, stage presence and the quality of their performance

Erica Pickering, a 12 year old grade 7 student at Sacred Heart where she says her best subjects are English and languages is a Rising Star contestant.

Erica puts in 25 hours a week on training but doesn’t talk in terms of a dance career for herself. She likes the look of interior design and decorating but is typical for a girl hr age – she is “considering her options”

Erica Pickering dancer

Erica Pickering, a contestant in the CNE Rising Star competition.

Erica sings and dances and does some acting; commercial work is something she thinks she might like to do. She sees herself as a “triple threat”

Erica has this pixie look to her. The photographs of her as a performer are not the girl that you talk to in the back yard of her home.

The Erica on a stage has a very polished professional look to her.

In an interview she is confident; doesn’t look to her Mother for the answers to questions and doesn’t hesitate to tell you what she thinks – and does so very politely.

“Dancing is hard work” she will tell you but she must be doing something right: she was one of the top five in the Atlantic City event.

Now it is on to the CNE competition which is an event you must apply to for consideration.

There are usually more than 100 participants in the numerous categories.

The event is described as a “nice show” one that doesn’t have the meanness that is often seen on the events that have a reality aspect to them.

That is so Canadian: decent, polite, clean and fun – which pretty well sums up Erica Pickering.

The Gazette will follow her performances.

The Rising Star schedule is:
Junior Preliminaries: Friday August 18 – Monday August 21
Junior Semi-Finals: Monday August 28 & Tuesday August 29
Junior Finals: Saturday September 2
Youth Preliminaries: Tuesday August 22 – Sunday August 27
Youth Semi-Finals: Wednesday August 30 – Friday September 1
Youth Finals: Sunday September 3

The Grand Champion of the junior competition will receive $1,000. The Grand Champion of the youth competition will receive $2,500.

Youth division is 13 – 21 years of age ; the Junior division is 6 – 12 years old

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